DETROIT -- When Ottawa traded superstar defenseman Erik Karlsson to San Jose last September, a doom-and-gloom season was predicted for the Senators, Detroit's next opponent this Friday at Little Caesars Arena (7:30 p.m. face-off).
Despite the dire prognostications, the Senators have been extremely competitive, with several players stepping up.
Up next: Ottawa Senators
Duchene injury could derail a surprising season for the Senators
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By
Arthur J. Regner @ArthurJRegner / DetroitRedWings.com
A couple of 21-year-olds, Thomas Chabot and rookie Max Lajoie, have anchored the blue line, with Chabot leading the Senators in ice time, averaging 24:24 per game and Lajoie clocking in at 20:06, which is third on the team.
Chabot and Lajoie have helped minimize the loss of Karlsson on the back end, while right wing Mark Stone, a star in his own right, center Matt Duchene, left wing Ryan Dzingel and center Chris Tierney have paced the attack up front, making Ottawa a formidable foe.
However, Duchene (12-22-34) suffered a groin injury on Dec. 6 in a 5-2 loss to Montreal and went on injured reserve.
In the same game, right wing Bobby Ryan (6-12-18) suffered a concussion and also went on IR, but Ottawa is hopeful Ryan will return against the Red Wings on Friday.
For now, Duchene and Ryan join right wing Marion Gaborik, center Jean-Gabriel Pageau and defensemen Dylan DeMelo (3-5-8) and Mark Borowiecki (0-2-2) on IR, giving the Senators six players on injured reserve.
While DeMelo (upper-body) and Borowiecki (upper-body) do not have an exact timeline when they'll return to the lineup, they will eventually be back playing, unlike Gaborik and Pageau.
Gaborik underwent surgery on a herniated disc last April and has not received medical clearance, which has his return up in the air, while Pageau appears lost for the season after having surgery for a torn Achilles, which occurred in September during fitness testing in training camp.
He has returned to skating with the team just two months after surgery, but Pageau still has a long way to go before he rejoins the Senators' lineup.
Ottawa has stayed competitive through a myriad of off-ice issues and a plethora of injuries, but if Duchene is out for a significant period, a once-promising season could be sunk.
The Skinny:
After 32 games, Ottawa is 13-15-4, good for 30 points, which is seventh in the Atlantic Division, 13th in the Eastern Conference and 24th overall in the NHL. The Senators are averaging 3.31 goals per game, ninth in the league, but their goals-against average of 3.91 ranks 31st, dead last in the NHL. Their power play is 11th overall, converting at 21.8 percent (22-of-101) and ranks 27th on the road (5-of-40) for a 12.5-percent success rate. Ottawa's penalty killing has been abysmal. They've been shorthanded 92 times and have given up 25 power-play goals for a kill rate of 72.8 percent, which ranks 30th. On the road, their penalty kill is also 30th in the league, with a kill rate of 71.0 percent. They have given up 11 power-play goals in 38 times shorthanded opportunities. In their last 10 games, the Senators are 4-5-1 and in one-goal games, Ottawa is 4-0-4. The Senators have a 3-10-1 record on the road.
The Last Time:
On Nov. 15, the Senators defeated the Red Wings, 2-1, in Ottawa. Cody Ceci and rookie Drake Batherson scored for Ottawa. Wings rookie Michael Rasmussen was Detroit's lone goal scorer, with Mike Green and Trevor Daley picking up the assists. The game featured Senators goalie Craig Anderson stopping two Red Wings penalty shots. Andreas Athanasiou and Rasmussen each failed on their attempts to beat the veteran netminder. It was only the third time in Wings history they've been awarded two penalty shots in a game. Mud Bruneteau was awarded two penalty shots against Chicago on Nov. 24, 1938 and missed both shots against Black Hawks goalie Mike Karakas. On Dec. 15, 2007, Valtteri Filppula and Pavel Datsyuk had penalty shots versus the Florida Panthers and goaltender Tomas Vokoun. Filppula was successful while the Magic Man missed.
The Forward Corps:Stone (15-20-35), Dzingel (12-10-22), Tierney (3-17-20), left wing Mikkel Boedker (3-14-17) and the rookies, center Colin White (8-11-19) and left wing Brady Tkachuk (9-7-16), must elevate their play during Duchene's absence or the consequences could spell disaster.
The Blue Line:
Chabot (8-25-33) and Lajoie (6-6-12) have been solid on the back end, but injuries to DeMelo and Borowiecki have cut into the blue line depth. Ottawa's defensive corps is young. Ceci (4-5-9) has played 394 NHL games, but he's still only 24 years old and rookie Christian Jaros (1-3-4) is only 22. The average age of the Senators' top four defensemen is 22, which is one reason why Ottawa is 31st in goals-against in the NHL at 3.91.
The Net:
Anderson is Ottawa's starting goaltender. He's 12-12-0 this season with a 3.56 goals-against average, a .907 save percentage and one shutout. Mike McKenna is the backup. The 35-year-old AHL veteran is 1-1-0-1 with the Senators. He has a 3.98 goals-against average and an .899 save percentage.
The Burning Question:
Can the Senators continue to overachieve without a healthier blue line and if Duchene is out of action for a prolonged period?
The Series:
Friday will be the 47th meeting between the Red Wings and the Senators. Detroit is 29-14-1-2 overall in the series. In Detroit, the Wings are 14-7-0-1 and in Ottawa, they're 15-7-1-1.
